Iowa’s newest city has a new name this week. Vedic City, located just north of Fairfield will hereafter be known as Maharishi Vedic City. Residents voted earlier this month to make the name change and the election results were just certified. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation movement, was a spiritual advisor to The Beatles and Vedic City officials say the name change for their two-year-old town reflects the ancient Indian teachings of Maharishi. Some of the most ardent Maharishi followers refer to him as “his holiness” and that is sparking controversy in Jefferson County, where a local option sales tax was approved. Some T-M followers want the money used on a large-scale meditating project, but some county officials object to using public money on a religious project, sparking a new controversy in an area where two distinct cultures are clashing.
